In May 2018, the Zeppelin Power Systems business unit delivered its 250th Caterpillar engine for use in a Viking River Cruises “longship”. The engine in question – a Cat C32 ACERT with 994 kW output – forms part of the diesel-electric drive concept, which deploys a total of five Cat engines per ship. The engine is particularly well-equipped in technical terms, and the river cruise ship for which it is destined is currently under construction at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde, due to be delivered in early 2019.

Since 2011, Zeppelin Power Systems has been supplying Neptun Werft with engines for the shipbuilder to use in the new series of longships it is producing for Viking River Cruises. A total of 49 longships are currently in operation, and this number is set to grow to 61 by 2020, incorporating some 300 Cat engines. “Our collaboration with Neptun Werft and Zeppelin Power Systems has been working very well for years,” says Thomas Bogler, Vice President of Viking Cruises AG. “In addition to the quality of the new builds and their drive systems, we also highly value the service Zeppelin Power Systems offers us.”

The full service contract concluded at the start of 2017 enables Zeppelin Power Systems to provide 24-hour customer service and ensure very quick availability of technicians and spare parts. This is possible thanks to a close-knit network of specialist service staff, which the company provides in partnership with Zeppelin Austria. Furthermore, with the aid of digital solutions, Zeppelin Power Systems can also read and evaluate data in order to give customers appropriate recommendations and plan service works in advance.